A Matter of Facts

From the University of Minnesota Libraries

As the global cases of COVID-19 virus climb past the 700,000 mark, the term “PPE” or personal protective equipment has been heard from governors, the president, health officials, and others as they address the nation in how we can all come together to battle the spread of this virus. This post defines PPE and offers guidance on what is acceptable to donate the health care community.

In this "A Matter of Facts" article from the University Libraries, you will find trusted information and resources on COVID-19, an acute respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus first identified December 2019 in Wuhan, in China’s Hubei Province.

Get background, details on what's new, and links to news and resources about presidential primary elections in Minnesota in this installment of "A Matter of Facts" from the University of Minnesota Libraries.

With the current impeachment proceedings underway for President Trump, understanding how impeachment works and the earlier precedents for impeachment provides some context for this process. In this installment of A Matter of Facts, we provide background and resources to help you think critically about this topic.

Americans have become more familiar with federal government shutdowns in the past year. We’ve experienced three shutdowns in 2018/2019 for a combined total of 17 days and counting, and no one can forget the 16-day shutdown in 2013. What makes the current shutdown different is that it’s a partial shutdown with only 25 percent of the federal government going unfunded. This blog post provides information and resources for better understanding the issues related to the shutdown.

Topics surrounding immigration are frequently fraught with partisan point-scoring and scare tactics both locally and nationally. This post will help you navigate the flow of information, provide you with links to publicly available information, and point you to University of Minnesota Libraries’ resources to guide your understanding of issues surrounding the topic of immigration.

In the months leading up to the United States presidential election in 2016, false stories circulated widely on social media. Media scholars and journalists cautioned Americans to get their news from trusted media networks and newspapers rather than from unvetted online publishers. It’s also important to learn how markets and regulations shape our traditional media landscape. We’ve compiled some articles, databases, and government resources below to help our readers understand the behind-the-scenes forces that help shape the news.

The story is, by now, familiar to everyone who keeps up with the news. On February 14, 2018 a school shooter armed with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle murdered 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Since then, students who survived the massacre have spoken out in support of gun control. Their actions — and the public support they have gained — have successfully kept the topic of gun control in the news for much longer than is typical after a school shooting occurs. This post is intended to provide links to reliable resources — peer-reviewed articles, government documents, and more — to help you better understand the issue.

The Me Too movement is a Twitter hashtag and social movement that calls attention to the widespread problem of sexual harassment and assault. The movement frequently appears in news headlines and has received both favorable and critical coverage. Below, we have compiled some resources to help students think critically about the topic.

Offshore drilling for oil and natural gas is detrimental to the environment, but economically beneficial for the energy industry in the United States. Before the end of his second term in office, former U.S. President Barack Obama issued a ban on offshore drilling. Recently, President Trump declared his intentions to lift the ban and allow energy companies to resume offshore drilling. This post provides links to resources to help you understand the issues and its significance.

President Donald Trump recently announced that the United States will officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The president also plans to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. We’ve gathered some resources to help you learn more about this new development and about the long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Recent news coverage has focused on a trove of newly available documents related to the 1963 assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy. This post provides information on recent news and government documents to help you better understand the issues.

In less than two months, 500,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh to escape persecution. The United Nations has called it the world’s fastest developing refugee crisis, and relief agencies are finding it difficult to meet the need for food, water, shelter, and medical care. This post is intended to provide information on recent news, current research, and reliable information to help you better understand and think critically about these issues.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration called upon Congress to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The program applies to young adults who have grown up in the U.S. but are not recognized as citizens because they came to the country as undocumented immigrants when they were children. We’ve gathered some resources to help you explore the topic and think critically about the ongoing news coverage.

It’s hurricane season. Hurricane Harvey and the rain that followed dumped 33 trillion gallons of water on the southern United States. Now, Irma, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded, has devastated the Caribbean and is poised to hit Florida, with the potential of causing further catastrophic damage. What’s happening? Is climate change partly to blame? Should we be better prepared? What public health concerns are there? And how long will it take to rebuild — and at what cost? This post is intended to provide information on recent news, current research, and reliable information to help you better understand these issues.